By Keri Luiz
Assistant Editor

Schoolmates and friends Nicole Ross, 10, and Teslay MacDonald, 11, love animals. The Joe Henderson Elementary School fifth graders both have dogs that have been adopted from shelters, and Teslay has a pet corn snake that Nicole helps feed and care for.

The girls love animals so much, they wanted to do something for the animals that need help the most: those that have no home.

“I had read a couple stories about animals that were abandoned, and were in puppy mills and died. I wanted to change that,” Nicole said.

“I have two dogs that were adopted from the shelter, but one of them was abandoned by a breeder,” Teslay said.

The girls decided to do a bake sale and donate the proceeds to the Humane Society of the North Bay, Formerly the Benicia-Vallejo Humane Society, based in Vallejo.

“The two of them both decided to fulfill both their dreams, and they did,” said June MacDonald, Teslay’s mother. “This is something they both believed in and wanted to do.”

“They both love animals so much,” Nicole’s mother Kim Ross said.

Last fall, Nicole and Teslay baked vanilla cupcakes with strawberry shortcake frosting, as well as brownies, and whipped up a batch of lemonade to wash it down with.

The sale, held at Nicole’s house, was a huge hit, raising close to $40.

“They were waving people down as they were driving by, they had their sign. I thought they made quite a bit in those few hours,” Ross said.

Last weekend the girls visited the Humane Society to donate the money and took the opportunity to visit with some of the animals that were abandoned and waiting for new homes.

While at the shelter, they got to see “newborn puppies, and lots of kitties,” Teslay said. One dog had had a litter of puppies in the shelter just a week earlier.

“It is so sad when people abandon pregnant dogs,” June MacDonald said.

Teslay said she learned that black cats were the least likely pets to be adopted. “There were 11 of them there. People are afraid of them,” she said, referring to superstition.

She also thinks that animals are more friendly when they come from shelters, rather than from breeders.

“I think when they are at the shelters, they miss having humans to take care of them,” she said.

Now both Teslay and Nicole want to do more for the Humane Society, including volunteer. And when the girls grow up, they want to work with animals: Teslay said she wants to be a snake breeder or a herpetologist, and Nicole wants to be a veterinarian.

In the meantime, both girls look forward to doing a fundraising bake sale for the Humane Society again.

“It’s a great thing to do,” Teslay said.

“It’s a great idea,” Nicole said.

“It is great that they took it upon themselves to donate to the Humane Society, and we appreciate their interest,” said Peter Wilson, coordinator of development at the Humane Society. “It’s a great way for them to learn more about how they can help the homeless animals in the community.”

Wilson said a variety of children’s groups donate to the Humane Society, such as the Girl Scouts, Brownies and Daisies.

“It is encouraging. It brings to light that the animals need their support, and we’re able to educate them on responsible pet guardianship,” he said.